VELOCITYLENShttp://velocitylens.com
Cycling Media & Video ProductionSat, 29 Apr 2017 17:21:11 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.1Kalamazoo Bike Film Festival selection for a short documentary about Mark Graham’s Wild Atlantic Way Epiphanyhttp://velocitylens.com/kalamazoo-bike-film-festival-selection-for-a-short-documentary-about-mark-grahams-wild-atlantic-way-epiphany/
Sat, 29 Apr 2017 17:12:15 +0000http://velocitylens.com/?p=454Mark contacted me to document his cycle on The Wild Atlantic Way in Kerry. The whole journey was 2500km and he was cycling on a beautiful wooden racer made by Woodelo in Tipperary. There were a few challenges for Mark : The overall distance and cycling 40 – 100km’s day in day out for over a month, the weather and all that it threw at him and the general adventure. What he hadn’t planned for was the feeling of pride in his home country that grew stronger the more places he went and experienced.

This short 2min documentary is a snap-shot of what it’s like to be a proud Irishman cycling this epic coastal route where every person he meets, wants to know what he thought of their County.

Velocitylens short documentary selection for Kalamazoo Bicycle film festival, Michigan. Documentary produced by Paul Dolan featuring Mark Graham cycling The Wild Atlantic Way on a wooden racer.

For anybody around Kalamazoo, Michigan on May 16th check out their Bike Shorts Program. Details here:

]]>How to take better photographs (for airbnb) to increase bookingshttp://velocitylens.com/how-to-take-better-photographs-for-airbnb-to-increase-bookings/
Fri, 14 Apr 2017 13:10:22 +0000http://velocitylens.com/?p=441I was invited to give a presentation to Mid-Kerry Tourism Cluster on tips for taking a good Architectural photo.

Here is the presentation I gave with guidelines and advice to help you improve your photography.

With the emergence of airbnb it is now easier than ever to promote your accommodation and reach a huge global audience. With airbnb members providing everything from a single room to a large chateaux it is apparent that some providers take a professional approach whilst others do not.

This diversity of providers is reflected in the quality of the photography on Airbnb. The number of listings with great photography are few, and this should be seen as an opportunity to stand out in a market full of poor to average images. Hire a professional to take the vital important images of your property and then fill your portfolio in with some great images that you can take yourself. With modern cameras and smartphones it has never been easier to take great photos.

The following guidelines explained in the presentation above will help you with your Architectural photography.

Kerry has so many amazing cycling routes that it is hard to choose. The brief was to pick routes for the avid cyclist so after rubbing my hands with excitement I picked 5 tough but rewarding spins that will leave you wanting more.

These routes are all under 100km & have well-timed coffee stops at my favourite Cafés. With plenty of tough climbing and breathtaking landscapes you’ll earn every mouthful of fluffy scone and savour every sip of hot coffee!

On August 18th, 2016 I had the privilege to cycle this beautiful Alpine Col.

Following weeks and months of training and lengthy research, I was finally spinning my way towards it on a fresh and misty August morning. I was staying in Chamrousse, which is a ski resort on a mountain outside Grenoble, so I decided to cycle from the apartment. This would give me a good warm-up of 40km’s before hitting the climb at Allemont.

Having whizzed down the steep descent ( 10% average ) of Col Luitel to Sechillienne I was faced with 25km’s of a steady pull along the D1091 through La Grave and onto Allemont. It was definitely a little on the tough side for a warm-up but the Electric Blue waters of the Romanche river weaving its way alongside the road was a nice distraction.

It is a busy road, however much of what you read online is exaggerated. It is an important main road in the area with plenty of trucks and cars, but for 90% of it there is a hard shoulder / bike lane and from my experience all the heavy vehicles gave me plenty of room and respect. My local cycling route on The Ring of Kerry in Ireland is far busier and far narrower. This road in contrast was a pleasure.

On the D1091 you are surrounded on both sides by towering mountain ranges and staggering views and having crossed La Romanche, the pretty village of Allemont awaits. A welcoming Boulangerie provided some mid-morning snacks and a coffee across the street in a Cafe which overlooked a paved square & fountain, was exactly what I needed.

My yellow BMC Teammachine SLR03 outside the Boulangerie. It is a light bike that is absolutely rock solid on fast descents. It is so stitched to the road that you could descend at high speeds drinking an espresso with one hand !

A light mist had started as I passed the official climb starting point. If you had rented a TIMTOO chip for your bike it would kick in here but for me Strava was doing the job nicely.

The ramped road and switchbacks start immediately as you quickly climb up to the level of the reservoir Lac du Verney. Picturesque Allemont drops below you as you skirt along by the Lake to the Hydro Electric Station & Museum.

This is where the toughest section of climbing starts!

The next 6km’s are a real slog as you make your way up through pine forests and waterfalls. The rain started and I found this section very difficult and it was cold. At each turn of the road it seemed like the slope was going to ease off, it didn’t, and it was fairly relentless until I reached Le Rivier D’Allemont. Here with 50km’s in the legs I decided to stop and warm up with a lovely omelette and an espresso. As the rain fell some visitors called into the Café having driven over the summit, and word was, it was extremely cold at the top of the Col. Having worn my waterproof cape for the past 6km’s I still had dry arm warmers & a heavy gilet to call on, so I felt confident and continued on my way. Shortly after leaving the Café the rain cleared and it started warming up (a common occurrence in these parts) so capes were packed away, and I started drying out as the minutes went by.

After the village / commune there is a short 2km downhill (which I was prepared for as it is well mentioned in all articles about this route) and through some breaks in the trees I could see the snaking switchbacks & climb ahead. Some people have suggested that this downhill section is disheartening, however I found it a welcome break from climbing and it added some variety.

A short but steep section lay ahead and here the speed dropped enough to let a pack of friendly flies escort me up the switchbacks and road ahead. It was mid-morning at this stage and the temperature was rising into the mid 20’s, lovely ! This for me was the middle section of the climb and I was feeling stronger and more prepared for climbing. The switchbacks and twists and turns were a welcome distraction. I now witnessed the beauty of the landscape and road engineering as the Grand Maison Dam, with a small emerald lake at its base, book ended a panoramic valley. I had truly arrived and was cycling in the Alps.

What awaited me at the top was magical. The most serene and peaceful lake I had ever seen, L’Eau d’Olle. The road leveled and the speed increased as I spun along the lake-shore with my eyes transfixed on huge sweeping grass slopes falling down to the still water.

The road graffiti increased dramatically with the names of cycling legends painted on the smooth tarmac. Welcome to Glandon valley was plastered everywhere as the road now descended towards the road junction where you turn left for Col du Glandon or go straight on for le Croix de Fer. Today I went straight on!

Up ahead you could see the road winding its way to the summit. Birds soared on updrafts and cows with large bells around their necks provided an acoustic symphony which blended with the sweet smell of Summer Alpine meadows. At moments like this, you soon forget about the triviality of cycling and become grateful for the important things in life.

Your legs go into autopilot for the next 3km’s of climbing as excitement and anticipation of the summit takes over. Behind you, the valley and mountains form a stunning backdrop as you briefly throw some shapes for the professional photographer who snaps away and hands you his card. You can log on and find your pics online and decide if you want to purchase them as mementos. For me I hauled my GoPro, a tiny camera that felt like a huge broadcast camera as the climb drained my energy, up this climb and was happy with having it to capture the moment, and of course the linked video.

The top was calm and quiet, a complete contrast to the hustle and bustle of Alpe D’Huez. This summit and climb epitomized the Alpine wilderness and scale. It was raw and I felt a great sense of achievement and even greater sense of escape. The Iron Cross is smaller than expected, but on top of the golden & weather etched stone pillar, it formed a fitting sculpture to admire in the fresh high altitude air. Its modesty was respectful to the vast and overwhelming beauty of the backdrop.

Some below average food and adequate coffee in the summit Café was a mere blip and didn’t dent my excitement as I prepared for the descent. It was all too brief as the mid climb drops now came back to bite hard. Having put on layers for descending you are now faced with, leaving them on and overheating, or taking them off for these sticky and short climbs near the L’Eau d’Olle, and later on near Le Rivier D’Allemont. I decided to pack the layers away and settled into the return trip to Bourg D’Oisans (to return my rented bike)

I was well behind schedule for the day and at this stage I was running a few hours late for a rendezvous with my family in Bourg D’Oisans. Cycling in the Alps is way slower than at home, so with my phone not having any coverage I borrowed a phone from some very obliging and friendly Dutch cyclists to send that vital text message ! Thanks Joost.. With that job done I made haste to my destination.

A cyclist enjoying the descent and the view !

Trying hard not to be distracted by the surroundings I zipped down through straights and hairpins. It was hard not to feel sorry for the cyclists battling up the climb, so some friendly head nodding was given in support. I lost concentration twice and needed heavy straight-line braking as I shot straight across two hairpins trying to stay upright. Long descents are not something we have in Ireland and it’s worth noting to take your time, as you are already tired from the climb, so it’s easy to lose focus. I took a short break to get myself in order and cruised the last 6km down through the woods into Allemont. It’s flat cycling all the way back to Borg D’Oisans and the chance to relax over a few coffees & beers.

As for all the data and gradient charts for the climb there are lots online and I don’t need to go over it here.

All I’ll say is that it is a complete climb, and like a great story has a strong start, ups and downs, twists and turns and an unforgettable finish.

My tips for Col de la Croix de Fer : ( there are lots more all over the net so Google them )

1: Prepare for the first 6km slog from Allemont to Le Rivier D’Allemont. It’s the hardest part of the day. Be well warmed up.

2: Bring two bottles of water and plenty to eat. There aren’t many places to re-load on the climb.

3: Bring a camera with you and capture the magnificent scenery. It is special.

4: Make sure you walk past the finish and over to the viewing area looking to the North. An amazing panorama awaits.

5: This can apply to all descents but don’t be rushing it. Relax and enjoy the spin down and don’t forget about those nasty mid-descent climbs.

6: Finally allow yourself plenty of time. I would reckon its up to 50% slower in the Alps than in Ireland or UK so if you think you’ll be back for lunch it will be more like 3-4pm !

Next up for FRED is official selection at Kerry Film Festival. This is great news as we were crossing fingers and toes that we would make this prestigious local festival. The Laurels arrived today !

The very novel and interesting K-Fest is Killorglin’s annual Arts Festival. They use all the unused buildings and other vacant premises in the town to host a pop up gallery Art’s festival. Lots more to see and do so check out the website. http://www.kfest.ie/

This year I am honoured to have “Fred – A Journey Home” being screened along with two other made in Kerry shorts on Friday 3rd @ 7pm in the CYMS. Home town gigs & showings are always special so it promises to be a great night. Fingers crossed ! http://www.kfest.ie/#!film/n958g

Velocitylens has a gallery running for the whole weekend from 11am to 5pm daily. You can come in, rest your weary gallery browsing bones and see a selection of short videos shot over the past 12 months. We will be located upstairs over the old Off-License beside Kingstons Bar on Market Street. Come up for a chat and say hello !

Now to Europe where Fred will be screened in Saldutiskis in Lithuania at the Wolves Independent International Film Festival…. They must have understood his Kerry accent, fair play to them ! It’s fantastic to have been selected alongside Films from Iran to Australia and to Scandanavia and back in a very diverse selection from all over the world.

Here is the shortlist

]]>Mid-Kerry Tourism Brochure Designhttp://velocitylens.com/mid-kerry-tourism-brochure-design/
Mon, 18 Apr 2016 20:10:24 +0000http://velocitylens.com/?p=355I was recently approached to design a new folding brochure for the Mid Kerry area to highlight the amazing landscape and tourism potential of this area of Kerry in Ireland.

Whilst wonderful Killarney & glorious Dingle get a lot of the focus from tourists it is important to draw some focus on the area where I am lucky enough to live.

Mid Kerry has the 3 highest peaks in Ireland located in the majestic MacGillicuddy Reeks.

Two of Ireland’s finest Blue Flag beaches in Rossbeigh & Inch and of course the world famous Gap of Dunloe.

As you can imagine this is cycling countryside at its very best !

The important angle to this brochure was that it provides information of sights to see & things to do along with some phone numbers & websites of the people who can make your adventure happen. They are all referenced and located on the included map. Too many brochures are produced without hard numbers or contact details and I’m afraid that whilst they may look lovely have no real use to the recipient and as a result often end up in the bin.

Anyway I was honoured to have this opportunity to design the brochure and help launch it in Jacks of Cromane last Thursday 14th April, 2016.

What a great night of short films of varying genres. FRED got a lively & warm response from a full theatre. All the Directors were presented with a lovely plaque to commemorate the night.

Some of the very kind comments :

Owen J Daly: An inspiring documentary in both the subject and the scenery. Everyone should see Paul’s stunning camerawork and listen to Fred’s insightful life philosophy. Well done to both of you

Declan Mulvany: Exceptional piece of work look forward to seeing it again

Hazel Maria Bohan; Best Documentary loved it…. well done and I fully understood Fred and his connection to switching off…. inspiring to say the least

Paul Murphy : Very engaging and thoughtful piece of cinema

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It’s journey starts in the Cinema in Killarney on Feb 25th @ 6:30pm where it will be shown alongside a number of other locally made films.

It promises to be an interesting mix of animation, documentaries and short films.

There are friends of Fred who are traveling from across Ireland to see this with a contingent from Fermanagh making a particularly long haul.

Whilst it is generally light and pleasant viewing there are a few more challenging moments that are sure to crop up in the Q&A with Director after the viewing. I’m ready

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]]>A Documentary about life, seeking contentment and the love of cycling.http://velocitylens.com/a-documentary-about-life-seeking-contentment-and-the-love-of-cycling/
Wed, 03 Feb 2016 17:21:59 +0000http://velocitylens.com/?p=279FRED ” A Journey Home” is complete. I was inspired by the life journey of a cycling friend of mine and about 6 months ago I went about creating a short documentary based on his experiences.

Despite a successful career which enabled him to travel the world he was not happy. In a brave move he gave up this career, setup a small business and went about finding contentment in his life.

He found it, and whilst on this journey to seek happiness he discovered Cycling and fell in love with the bike.

This documentary celebrates this journey, the beauty of life and the joy of Cycling in the wonderful Kingdom of Kerry.

The original score was composed by Kevin Kelleher.

This documentary was fun from the start. Fred is a private man but when asked will gladly tell you about his experiences and what he learned on his journey to fulfillment in life. I joined him on the bike up and down every hill and mountain in Kerry. He’s very fit, having lost lots of weight over the past year, so keeping up with him was not easy. He has a successful Dog Kennel business in Kerry and his relaxed and happy demeanor rubs off on all the dogs he cares for. We can learn a lot from Dogs and Fred gives us some wisdom from the canine world in the documentary.

FRED “A journey Home” will be entered in film festivals throughout Ireland and further afield in 2016 and I will keep you updated on when and where it can be seen throughout the year.

So get in touch by e-mail and I will send you updates on this documentary and other videos produced throughout the year.

paul@velocitylens.com

]]>The Wild Atlantic Way from Tralee to Dingle on a wooden bike.http://velocitylens.com/the-wild-atlantic-way-from-tralee-to-dingle-on-a-wooden-bike/
http://velocitylens.com/the-wild-atlantic-way-from-tralee-to-dingle-on-a-wooden-bike/#respondSat, 08 Aug 2015 14:04:53 +0000http://velocitylens.com/?p=247Mark Graham of @YearOfFestivals is cycling the Wild Atlantic Way on an ash racing bike made by woodelo.com.

Velocitylens linked in with him for two days in Kerry and this video shows some highlights of the first day. Cycling from Tralee to Dingle he detoured to the Maherees to see the real wild Atlantic and to sample some chowder in Spillanes pub. As the wind howled and the sun fought hard with the grey clouds the majestic Conor Pass was all that separated him from Dingle. It is the highest point on the entire route and this famous road climb is 6km long and rises at an average gradient of 6.5% so it was always going to be a stiff test on a bike weighted down with panniers. Still the top was crested and then the fun part followed. A fast and furious 7km descent to Dingle with a brief stop in The Dingle Brewing company to sample the refreshing Tom Crean beer before heading to the welcome embrace of Benners Hotel for dinner and a soft bed.

Bike touring in Ireland on the Wild Atlantic Way is something that everybody should try. Whether it is for 3 or 33 days the one thing you will take away from the experience is that we are blessed with a wealth of beautiful places to see and things to do. Even on a short days cycling there were any number of detours to remote beaches, monuments and piers to lengthen the journey. Mark kept his days short for this very reason, so there was always lots of time for exploring.

The Ash frame of the Woodelo “Leaf Speed” suited the natural & wild surroundings on the slope of Conor Pass.

]]>http://velocitylens.com/the-wild-atlantic-way-from-tralee-to-dingle-on-a-wooden-bike/feed/0The Ring of Kerry Cycle 2015http://velocitylens.com/the-ring-of-kerry-cycle-2015/
http://velocitylens.com/the-ring-of-kerry-cycle-2015/#respondThu, 09 Jul 2015 11:38:39 +0000http://velocitylens.com/?p=239The Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle gets bigger and better every year. This year we had 11,500 hardy but generous souls cycling 180km around the largest of Kerry’s peninsulas. Thanks to all of these cyclists who come from all over Ireland and the world, the proceeds raised go to local and well deserving charities.

I’m lucky enough to be booked for the past 4 years to provide drums, excitement & encouragement for the passing cyclists with 1km to go. At this stage they’ve done it and they can sit up and enjoy the cruise into Killarney town and the thousands of supporters waiting to welcome them over the finish line.

From a cycling point of view this is a unique event. I get to see ¾ of the cyclists at close hand flying past with the finish line in sight. What the cycling world might think is the norm goes out the window here in Kerry every year. There are Carbon roadsters a plenty, but there are also High Nellies, Hybrids, Mountain Bikes and bikes that have no classification. Men and women of all ages power these bikes around the hilly circuit. Some are fitter than others but all get swept around by a wave of good will and a special atmosphere that exists for this long-standing event.

There were 11,500 cyclists this year and the event was sold out 3 months before hand. The servers crashed in the first few days such was the demand. Bear in mind there are no shorter options for cyclists. Unlike other sportive cycles that usually have a 60, 100 & 120km+ routes, the Ring of Kerry is straight up 180km, that’s it!

It is engrained in the psyche of everyone in Kerry. If cycling comes up in any conversation the next question is always, have you done the Ring of Kerry? Now they mean have you cycled on the day with the thousands of others. Of course us cycling enthusiasts hammer the hills and hollows that this beautiful county has in abundance every weekend throughout the year, but if you haven’t cycled this now famous event then you’re not a real cyclist.

Lots of people train hard for this event. Some are strong club cyclists who fly around but there are hundreds of cyclists who take their bike out of the shed a month or two before hand, take off the previous years event sticker, spray a bit of oil on the dusty gears, pump up the flat tyres and away they go. They don’t obsess over gear, lycra, the width of their tyres and the ideal PSI, the aero qualities of their helmet, the brand of chamois cream they use, whether their carb consumption is balanced with their electrolyte requirements.

It’s an annual right of passage for these people and it represents a daylong pilgrimage that they do each year. That’s it. Their bike is not important to them; it’s a tool that helps them to participate. They are the heart and soul of the Ring of Kerry cycle, the real warriors who battle climbs and real fatigue to be part of something great. I know for me it’s a grounding experience. I’m one of those MAMILS who get caught up in the technical side of cycling and I’m slowly coming to the realization that it’s about the cycling buddies, the craic, and the fresh air.